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Kaley Cuoco Ditches Heels, Merritt Wever Still Stunned at Governors Ball

The first party stop after the Emmys is obviously the Governors Ball down the street, but the real first stop is the smoking patio on the way in.

Damian Lewis, January Jones, and Melissa Leo are just a few of the beautiful people who broke away from the pack to take a breather outside in between functions.

We watched as Jones grabbed Leo on her way in and gave her a huge hug. "I was looking for you earlier!" the "Mad Men" actress exclaimed as she excitedly gave her pal a kiss on the cheek.

Leo, 53, (who, by the way, sewed those diamond buttons on her coat herself), went over to chat with Jones and a few others from the "Mad Men" cast.

[Photos: 2013 Emmys Afterparties]

Scooting inside at the same time was Kaley Cuoco, who made a red carpet appearance with boyfriend Ryan Sweeting earlier in the evening. The "Big Bang Theory" actress and her tennis beau, who were first spotted together in early August, didn't hold back any PDA.

At one point, Cuoco even tripped a bit while walking inside (her gorgeous Vera Wang dress was worth it though) and Sweeting was there to guide her to her seat. It should be no surprise, then, that Cuoco decided to swap out shoes to keep the party going.

"It's time for the heels to come off, because there will be some dancing happening," Cuoco laughed when we talked to her about her shoe change. "You can't blame me — I know your feet are dying!"

Cramps and blisters aside, we couldn't help but notice that perhaps the couple with the best chemistry at the Governors Ball was Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. The "Breaking Bad" co-stars came with the cast straight from backstage after winning for Best Drama.

"I mean it when I say I wasn't expecting it," Cranston told us. "I'm thrilled, it was a tough category [this year]."

We filled Cranston in on the fact that everyone in the Emmy audience went nuts anytime the show or an actor from the show was mentioned. "Of course … that's because we have the best fans in the world," he laughed. "Just wait for next Sunday."

[Related: 2013 Emmys: The Best and Worst Moments]

Cranston, Paul, and Anna Gunn all sat together and even snapped a few pics on their cell phones with Emmys in hand. You really would never have known that Paul lost in his acting category — he was life of the table (and possibly the party), happy as can be celebrating with his crew.

A few tables over, Claire Danes and Merritt Wever held court and had a cute moment together. It seems everyone (including the "Homeland" star) wanted to talk with the "Nurse Jackie" winner who gave the shortest acceptance speech ever.

"It was mostly just being shocked," the actress told us about her speech. "I have a million people to thank, but ["Thanks so much. Thank you so much. I gotta go. Bye."] just seemed like the best option at the time."

Short and sweet … just how we like it!